The boats came slowly into the dark colorless skies of the docks. As Liu Kang
looked down from the edge of the boat he was on, he could see the shore teaming with
activity, and everywhere those same red warriors ran about organizing the beach. Rather
than set anchor the boats had actually grounded ashore, perhaps they had a means of
getting them out to sea later on? Or maybe, the worse of the ideas that passed through the
monks head was, that they no longer needed the boats? He wasn't sure why they had
chosen to do it that way, it certainly achieved one thing, speed. The soldiers he saw on
the beach now seemed to surround him on the boat, previously unseen. All he had see
before is would – be martial artists, except for that guy who called himself Rayden.
The first thing that reached most of the contestants in the tournament was the sheer
awe of the island and it's beauty. As they stepped off the boat, the dark clouds seemed to
clear them selves into a sun lit haze of blossomed desert plants, that could only be
associated and sustained with the supernatural. There was a high peek on the center of the
island and down below it was a huge, black castle that seemed to somehow explain all of
the beauty of the other parts of the island. It seemed that if something so horrid and
demonic looking, the castle's black foundations leaning on the mountain so that it seemed
as if it would topple (foundations not being the soul partner in it's standing), that this
pinnacle of darkness might have sucked all the evil of the island into it, so that it alone
held the darkness of the island, resulting in the sheer beauty of it's habitat and climate. It
had an eerie feel to it, and was placed in such a way that there was hardly a point on the
island that you could not see some part of it.
Everything about this island seemed strange and unusual. Long wooden slopes
came down suddenly lifted by the red soldiers, and rested on the sand and pebble ridden
beach below. Kano turned quickly to his partner Jarek "Where are the rest of the men?"
Jarek paused and looked back at the boat "Sir... I couldn't find any of them…
they're all gone"
Kano widened his eyes "You what!?" he gawked up at the huge black wooded boat
behind him, the metal side of his face glinting in the newly shinning sun. He turned
quickly back to Jarek "What happened to them all!?"
"I don't know sir!" returned Jarek "I saw less of them the longer we stayed on that
boat"
"Never mind" spat Kano "Those cowards… they must have deserted after their sad
behinds caught sight of this ship, I'll hunt everyone of them down when I return home
and personally slit their throats … Jarek, perhaps you might consider some kind of
appraisal, or raise in rank… I'll think about it"
"Thank you sir" beamed Jarek a grin on his face.
At the other end of the beach the blue ninja Subzero stepped of down the boat. What
surprised him more was when there was nobody behind him. He had seen almost a dozen
warriors on the boat but, now, he felt very alone as he got off. He felt his cold black shoes
touch the sand, and they crunched, at his cold touch. He had been an assassin for a long
time.
It felt strange to be on solid ground again. As he looked along the beach, there were
as little as 20 fighters, the rest were those red soldiers, who seemed to run the
tournament. This was supposed to be a world event, yet there were no TV crews, and no
spectators, except those soldiers. Each one with a well made and sharpened wooden
spear. He cast his eyes over the beach looking for that dismal specter who so badly
wanted to end his life. Subzero had really lost interest in it at the moment, he didn't even
know why he had agreed to go into this tournament. Indeed the reward that his mystical
agent would give him, would be well worth the trouble… but still, would he actually get
it? Something shuffled passed his legs, and the ninja looked down to see a small scorpion
run away off towards the castle. He should have squashed it while he had the chance.
"Subzerosss" said a voice to his right. He turned his head quickly to see a ninja in
green, the costume he had, had huge similarities to his own. There were no boats passed
this ninja, only the rocky cliff face in the distant, Subzero had gotten off of the last boat.
The green ninja, with the same black stripes on his costume repeated his name
"Subzerosss, follow meehsss"
Subzero did not utter a word, but followed the ninja, or creature, or whatever it was.
He heard a quiet clicking under the mask, that hinted at some strange mutant or alien
being. Their soft foot prints were left in the sand.
Sonja came down from the boat, and instantly looked to her left, seeing the person
she hated more than any other. She tensed her knuckles in anticipation, she couldn't wait
to get her hands on him. She knew he was going to this tournament and now she could
finally take out the leader of the black dragon… not that that was her only reason for
killing him. She clutched the pistol in her back pocket, and took out quickly. She aimed
slowly and stealthily towards the criminal, he had a person with him, no matter, he wasn't
important. She took the gun and aimed slowly to the fleshy part, of his face, she couldn't
have any mistakes. Suddenly the gun flew out of her hand from a jolt, a green ninja stood
before her. He held the weapon in his hands he suddenly spat on it, a lime green bile like
liquid dissolving the weapon away.
"You Idiot!" screamed Sonja Blade aiming a kick at his head, hands stopped her,
and she felt a swinging motion as she fell to the ground and an awkward twist. Quickly
she rolled to a side and got up aiming another blow before the movie star stopped her and
held her back from behind.
"Hey! Calm down!" he interrupted holding her tightly, his sun glasses flickering in
the now bright sun.
"Let Go of me Now!" she ranted aiming her elbows at his head and missing.
"What's this all about?" continued Jonny cage, holding her tighter than before.
"No fighting before the tournamentss" hissed the green ninja "No fightingsss,
master's orderssss"
"Let Go of me now or I swear you'll regret it!"
"Alright, but don't do anything rash" returned the movie star stepping back, Sonja
with the released force sprung forward onto her face to the ground. She lifted her head
spitting sand "Stupid idiot I almost had him" she said, coughing and spluttering.
"Who did you have?" persisted Jonny standing over her.
"Never you mind!" she growled standing up and glaring at the lime ninja who had
stopped her. Subzero stepped forward suddenly his blue silky uniform looking icy cold,
his face untarnished from the sun's rays, always burning, but burning cold.
"Is this a bad time?" he intervened "For us to introduce ourselves?" he said with an
icy breath.
Jonny cage smiled, glancing quickly at Sonja "Sure go ahead, we don't have
anything better to do"
Subzero forced a grin under his mask, it didn't show through his icy covers, had it,
he might have presented himself a little more friendly in the eyes of the others, if that
emotional barrier the mask hadn't been there.
"My name is Subzero" said the Icy ninja "It is a pleasure to meet you, I presume we
will be competing together?"
"The names Cage" smiled the movie star "Jonny Cage"
"Ah the movie star" muttered Subzero to himself "Who's she?" he continued as if
Sonja wasn't fit to say her own name. Her face was sandy and she glanced briefly over at
Kano "I can say my own name" she interrupted before Mr Cage could smash out some
more punch lines.
"My name's Sonja Blade, that's all I'm willing to say, the rest is top secret"
"Oh you don't need to say the rest" said Subzero shaking his head "I know all
about you from the databases at the Linquei, you'll be after me no doubt when I leave this
island…"
"Ah, another criminal" grunted Sonja "Well luckily for you, I'm not interested in
what your doing, that's not what I'm paid for, and besides, I've got bigger fish to fry"
"Hasn't that line been used before?" interrupted Jonny Cage, taking of his glasses
"Who are you?" he said turning to the ninja in green.
"Reptile" it returned "I'll be leading you to your quarters on the island… I work for
master Shangtsung, if you pleasessss, as much as this pleasesss me to see you
conversssing, I would likes it if you woulds follow me now, pleasesss"
It said each word with a thousand S's with special emphasis on the word please.
Subzero looking from one to the other interrupted again "I don't think you people really
know what kind of tournament this is do you?"
Jonny cage looked back over at him "What are you talking about?"
"Mortal Kombat…" he paused with Icy eyes and a far away look "hmm, lets just
say that not many of us will have the chance to win this tournament, or indeed, leave this
tournament… If I may, I'd like to wish each of you the best of luck… assuredly some of
you are going to die"
"The only person who's going to be dieing around here is that scumbag Kano"
intervened Sonja.
"If you pleasesss, pleasesss follow me now, we ares waisting times, we ares"
It was a long clime up to the black castle. They passed pavilions and tents, and
flags and buildings and paths, the strangest thing was how they all seemed brand new,
built seemingly over night. The pathway brought them round past the most beautiful and
exotic flowers many of them had ever seen. Subzero caught a glimpse of something in the
bushes now and again, a bird with a strange dead look on it's face, or a quick scorpion
would rush across the earthy path, and he would always be reminded that Scorpion the
specter was after him. The sky was a deep blue now over head, it seemed to be changing.
The path wound ever onwards up towards the dark recesses of the castle that loomed
above them.
The gate way that they saw as they turned the corner was a large draw bridge that
stretched old Oak wood out across a bottomless Abyss below. Mist was rising up from
beneath, as though it lead directly down to the Neatherealm. There was a large group of
fighters now, and also a large platoon of those same red soldiers.
They crossed the bridge, their footsteps making a dull and quiet thumping sound as
they went over. The port way seemed dark even to the moment they were right next to it,
then suddenly as each on stepped through, the inside of the castle would suddenly
brighten so that you could see all of it. There was a long hallway inside, with an isle of
pillars stretching out into the distance as far as they could see. It was not particularly
warm inside either.
The red soldiers separated suddenly and ran apart. Each one steadied himself by a
pillar waited, there were not enough of them to fill the hall though, it seemed the endless
hall. An old man in a black cloak came out from behind one of the pillars, he walked as
smartly as he could across to the center of the hall and then stood in front of the twenty or
so fighters who had entered the tournament.
Among them, could be seen, Subzero, Scorpion, he stood at the very back,
watching and waiting always a specter. Liu Kang the shaolin monk who stood at the side,
Rayden who was somewhere in the middle, Sonja Jonny Cage, who presently and
stylishly took off his glasses, and Kano with Jarek. He was not happy that his men had
gone missing.
Reptile stood forward quickly and turned to the fighters "If you pleasesss, this is
masters Shangtsung, he is the grand master of thises great and humble tournament"
He then turned round again and bowed to the sorcera, Jonny Cage almost expected
him to go up and kiss his feet.
"Welcome fighters" interrupted Shangtsung in a snake like voice "This place will
be your dwellings for the nights that you stay here alive" he took a few steps across the
room his black sleeves folded behind his back, he stole a glance across at Rayden with
suspicion, eyeing up the straw hat with distaste "The first of the fights will happen
tomorrow, each of you will be informed by Reptile when it is your turn to enter the arena,
please be prepared as this could happen at any time… are there any questions?"
"How much prize money is there?" asked Kano gruffly, Sonja looked over at him
with hate.
"Is that all you think about?" she snarled
"No baby, when I win this tournament, I'll be thinking how much you'd cost"
"Why you!"
"Enough!" shouted the sorcera "A good question… the prize money, is more gold
than you could possibly imagine Kano, the whole of this island, with it's treasures and
ancient artifacts will pass into the winners hands, I am growing old, yet I have never been
beaten yet… it is nice to see confidence in your young faces" he turned away with a
smile "Once you get to be as old as me, you see things repeat themselves over history, I
have always been a dabbler with the fates of the world, if any of you ever have any
studurious questions you would like to ask, you can find me in the tallest tower, I do
enjoy the job of a tutor, I have a vast library at my disposal…" the sorcera turned looking
slowly from one to the other "though I suppose that wouldn't interest you young people,
Reptile, take them to their rooms, I have work to do"
Reptile ushered the party off to the side to a previously unnoticed stair case. "Feels
like *ucking summer camp" grunted Kano walking up the steps.
"Are Kano baby?" mocked Sonja only a couple of steps below "Are you regretting
this already? It's only just begun!"
"Yeah yeah , seeing your face is enough to turn anybody off, just like your ugly
mother"
Sonja fell silent and looked up at the Gangster's back with needles in her eyes. She
grunted, a touch of water coming to her eyes and headed on up the steps. Liu Kang
stopped at the stair case and waited, he looked around, where was Rayden? He spotted
him across one of the pillars, he was talking to Shangtsung.
"How is your master? Kahn doing?" asked the white clothed form of Rayden, his
face a shadow under the dark maskish straw hat that covered his silver hair.
Shangtsung smiled his hands behind his back, the gargoyles looked down from the
upholstery beams above them.
"Kahn is living in his own hell" the sorcerer laugthed as if amused at the question "I
never thought you would enter mortal kombat… Rayden… and such a bitter sacrifice, I
never knew you classed my tournament so highly… are you disappointed I managed to
keep the title of grand master?"
"You could say that" returned the other, a flicker of electricity going down his body,
it had happened less since the boat "I try not to lie in my position, but the Earth Realm
has become more of an interest to me as time goes on … my past is littered with
destruction, I think I would like to look into that more, I would not like to see this realm
fall into the hands of my brother"
"Neither would I to tell the truth, but in my case the Omlette is much tastier than the
egg" said the sorcera stretching back his hair and letting it fall.
"As I presumed" returned Rayden "I myself would like to use the position as Grand
master to change the rules, and allow gods and beings from the astral plains to enter the
tournament, if Kahn wants to take this realm he can do it fairly through a tournament
with his own hands"
"I thought this system was very fair" chuckled Shangtsung "If the elder gods hadn't
interfered, then there would only have been one tournament deciding the face of the
realm, and seeing as we have one 9…"
"Rayden are you coming?" called Liukang.
"Is he your servent?" whispered the sorcera.
"No just a petty Shaolin monk" returned the god "they worship me for the time I
drove Shinnoch out of the Earth Realm long ago, he suspects nothing of my true identity"
Liu Kang came up to the two "I still know very little about you Rayden, why don't
you tell me more?" he asked with a smile. Rayden gave the sorcerer a sarcastic look and
then reluctantly followed the monk away to the steps. Shangtsung watched them go, and
caught a glimpse of a flickering of electricity in the thunder gods eyes, the combined
darkness of the shadows and the god's straw hat making them ever more real in the
darkness.
A figure came from the darkness, with four huge arms, Shangtsung turned quickly "I
thought I told you to stay in the dungeon?"
"I wanted to see them for myself" replied the half dragon "There is no harm in that,
they seem a weak bunch to me"
Shangtsung looked away again to the steps "Watch the man with the hat… he's not
from this plain … don't underestimate him Goro, if anyone succeeds to challenge you in
this tournament, then it will be him"
"Understood master" he replied solemnly and sunk back into the shadows.
Shangtsung stood there for awhile, and then abruptly headed off towards the end of the
hall, that seemingly went on for ever. You could see him walking for a long time.
The quarters they had lead to were far apart and hard to remember the locations of.
They were drafty and cold but comfortable, a strange combination. Many of them were
high up in the castle in the various turrets and towers that were about the roof ways.
There seemed to be a perpetual storm out side of every window, and lightning flickered
across every horizon. It was very strange seeing as when they had walked in, the sun had
been shining.
The quarter Subzero was in was very dark, with black demonic furniture and dark
black stone walls, like some mansion or castle from a horror movie. There was a terrace
with the shutters wide open and he could see it through the misty mirror. He wiped his
hand across it and stared at his face. It looked different, different to the scar on his
brothers face.
The terrace flickered in the mirror as Subzero watched the rain outside pelt down.
What would become of his life now? He had no chance to destroy Scorpion? He was a
ghost after all. What could he do against the powers of a ghost. The blue mask encased
his face, and his emotions. He was doomed to fight against someone who would surely
defeat him, was there no other way. He walked over to the terrace, and walked through
the shutters. He felt the rain on his head, and saw the lightning strike down somewhere on
the island. Was the storm real or an illusion? The water felt very real, yet it was already
night? And daylight when he had entered the castle.
He looked down away down the mountainside and into the sea, the boats were gone
now, who knows where they went. He wasn't even sure if it was that beach they had
landed on. Below him all he could see was darkness, it must have been a long way to the
ground.
"Don't even think about it" whispered a voice in his ear. Subzero looked up quickly
to find a dark figure crouching on the roof above him like a gargoyle. Blue eyes flashed
menacingly as the storm raged on.
"Scorpion?" stuttered Subzero "Is it that time already?"
"No you fool it's me, a messenger from the Neatherealm, the shadow master
Noobsaibot, my master has asked me to help you destroy Shangtsung and even Scorpion"
The Shadow moved, a patch of darkness itself. It moved from one side of the roof
to the other and stared down threateningly.
looked down from the edge of the boat he was on, he could see the shore teaming with
activity, and everywhere those same red warriors ran about organizing the beach. Rather
than set anchor the boats had actually grounded ashore, perhaps they had a means of
getting them out to sea later on? Or maybe, the worse of the ideas that passed through the
monks head was, that they no longer needed the boats? He wasn't sure why they had
chosen to do it that way, it certainly achieved one thing, speed. The soldiers he saw on
the beach now seemed to surround him on the boat, previously unseen. All he had see
before is would – be martial artists, except for that guy who called himself Rayden.
The first thing that reached most of the contestants in the tournament was the sheer
awe of the island and it's beauty. As they stepped off the boat, the dark clouds seemed to
clear them selves into a sun lit haze of blossomed desert plants, that could only be
associated and sustained with the supernatural. There was a high peek on the center of the
island and down below it was a huge, black castle that seemed to somehow explain all of
the beauty of the other parts of the island. It seemed that if something so horrid and
demonic looking, the castle's black foundations leaning on the mountain so that it seemed
as if it would topple (foundations not being the soul partner in it's standing), that this
pinnacle of darkness might have sucked all the evil of the island into it, so that it alone
held the darkness of the island, resulting in the sheer beauty of it's habitat and climate. It
had an eerie feel to it, and was placed in such a way that there was hardly a point on the
island that you could not see some part of it.
Everything about this island seemed strange and unusual. Long wooden slopes
came down suddenly lifted by the red soldiers, and rested on the sand and pebble ridden
beach below. Kano turned quickly to his partner Jarek "Where are the rest of the men?"
Jarek paused and looked back at the boat "Sir... I couldn't find any of them…
they're all gone"
Kano widened his eyes "You what!?" he gawked up at the huge black wooded boat
behind him, the metal side of his face glinting in the newly shinning sun. He turned
quickly back to Jarek "What happened to them all!?"
"I don't know sir!" returned Jarek "I saw less of them the longer we stayed on that
boat"
"Never mind" spat Kano "Those cowards… they must have deserted after their sad
behinds caught sight of this ship, I'll hunt everyone of them down when I return home
and personally slit their throats … Jarek, perhaps you might consider some kind of
appraisal, or raise in rank… I'll think about it"
"Thank you sir" beamed Jarek a grin on his face.
At the other end of the beach the blue ninja Subzero stepped of down the boat. What
surprised him more was when there was nobody behind him. He had seen almost a dozen
warriors on the boat but, now, he felt very alone as he got off. He felt his cold black shoes
touch the sand, and they crunched, at his cold touch. He had been an assassin for a long
time.
It felt strange to be on solid ground again. As he looked along the beach, there were
as little as 20 fighters, the rest were those red soldiers, who seemed to run the
tournament. This was supposed to be a world event, yet there were no TV crews, and no
spectators, except those soldiers. Each one with a well made and sharpened wooden
spear. He cast his eyes over the beach looking for that dismal specter who so badly
wanted to end his life. Subzero had really lost interest in it at the moment, he didn't even
know why he had agreed to go into this tournament. Indeed the reward that his mystical
agent would give him, would be well worth the trouble… but still, would he actually get
it? Something shuffled passed his legs, and the ninja looked down to see a small scorpion
run away off towards the castle. He should have squashed it while he had the chance.
"Subzerosss" said a voice to his right. He turned his head quickly to see a ninja in
green, the costume he had, had huge similarities to his own. There were no boats passed
this ninja, only the rocky cliff face in the distant, Subzero had gotten off of the last boat.
The green ninja, with the same black stripes on his costume repeated his name
"Subzerosss, follow meehsss"
Subzero did not utter a word, but followed the ninja, or creature, or whatever it was.
He heard a quiet clicking under the mask, that hinted at some strange mutant or alien
being. Their soft foot prints were left in the sand.
Sonja came down from the boat, and instantly looked to her left, seeing the person
she hated more than any other. She tensed her knuckles in anticipation, she couldn't wait
to get her hands on him. She knew he was going to this tournament and now she could
finally take out the leader of the black dragon… not that that was her only reason for
killing him. She clutched the pistol in her back pocket, and took out quickly. She aimed
slowly and stealthily towards the criminal, he had a person with him, no matter, he wasn't
important. She took the gun and aimed slowly to the fleshy part, of his face, she couldn't
have any mistakes. Suddenly the gun flew out of her hand from a jolt, a green ninja stood
before her. He held the weapon in his hands he suddenly spat on it, a lime green bile like
liquid dissolving the weapon away.
"You Idiot!" screamed Sonja Blade aiming a kick at his head, hands stopped her,
and she felt a swinging motion as she fell to the ground and an awkward twist. Quickly
she rolled to a side and got up aiming another blow before the movie star stopped her and
held her back from behind.
"Hey! Calm down!" he interrupted holding her tightly, his sun glasses flickering in
the now bright sun.
"Let Go of me Now!" she ranted aiming her elbows at his head and missing.
"What's this all about?" continued Jonny cage, holding her tighter than before.
"No fighting before the tournamentss" hissed the green ninja "No fightingsss,
master's orderssss"
"Let Go of me now or I swear you'll regret it!"
"Alright, but don't do anything rash" returned the movie star stepping back, Sonja
with the released force sprung forward onto her face to the ground. She lifted her head
spitting sand "Stupid idiot I almost had him" she said, coughing and spluttering.
"Who did you have?" persisted Jonny standing over her.
"Never you mind!" she growled standing up and glaring at the lime ninja who had
stopped her. Subzero stepped forward suddenly his blue silky uniform looking icy cold,
his face untarnished from the sun's rays, always burning, but burning cold.
"Is this a bad time?" he intervened "For us to introduce ourselves?" he said with an
icy breath.
Jonny cage smiled, glancing quickly at Sonja "Sure go ahead, we don't have
anything better to do"
Subzero forced a grin under his mask, it didn't show through his icy covers, had it,
he might have presented himself a little more friendly in the eyes of the others, if that
emotional barrier the mask hadn't been there.
"My name is Subzero" said the Icy ninja "It is a pleasure to meet you, I presume we
will be competing together?"
"The names Cage" smiled the movie star "Jonny Cage"
"Ah the movie star" muttered Subzero to himself "Who's she?" he continued as if
Sonja wasn't fit to say her own name. Her face was sandy and she glanced briefly over at
Kano "I can say my own name" she interrupted before Mr Cage could smash out some
more punch lines.
"My name's Sonja Blade, that's all I'm willing to say, the rest is top secret"
"Oh you don't need to say the rest" said Subzero shaking his head "I know all
about you from the databases at the Linquei, you'll be after me no doubt when I leave this
island…"
"Ah, another criminal" grunted Sonja "Well luckily for you, I'm not interested in
what your doing, that's not what I'm paid for, and besides, I've got bigger fish to fry"
"Hasn't that line been used before?" interrupted Jonny Cage, taking of his glasses
"Who are you?" he said turning to the ninja in green.
"Reptile" it returned "I'll be leading you to your quarters on the island… I work for
master Shangtsung, if you pleasessss, as much as this pleasesss me to see you
conversssing, I would likes it if you woulds follow me now, pleasesss"
It said each word with a thousand S's with special emphasis on the word please.
Subzero looking from one to the other interrupted again "I don't think you people really
know what kind of tournament this is do you?"
Jonny cage looked back over at him "What are you talking about?"
"Mortal Kombat…" he paused with Icy eyes and a far away look "hmm, lets just
say that not many of us will have the chance to win this tournament, or indeed, leave this
tournament… If I may, I'd like to wish each of you the best of luck… assuredly some of
you are going to die"
"The only person who's going to be dieing around here is that scumbag Kano"
intervened Sonja.
"If you pleasesss, pleasesss follow me now, we ares waisting times, we ares"
It was a long clime up to the black castle. They passed pavilions and tents, and
flags and buildings and paths, the strangest thing was how they all seemed brand new,
built seemingly over night. The pathway brought them round past the most beautiful and
exotic flowers many of them had ever seen. Subzero caught a glimpse of something in the
bushes now and again, a bird with a strange dead look on it's face, or a quick scorpion
would rush across the earthy path, and he would always be reminded that Scorpion the
specter was after him. The sky was a deep blue now over head, it seemed to be changing.
The path wound ever onwards up towards the dark recesses of the castle that loomed
above them.
The gate way that they saw as they turned the corner was a large draw bridge that
stretched old Oak wood out across a bottomless Abyss below. Mist was rising up from
beneath, as though it lead directly down to the Neatherealm. There was a large group of
fighters now, and also a large platoon of those same red soldiers.
They crossed the bridge, their footsteps making a dull and quiet thumping sound as
they went over. The port way seemed dark even to the moment they were right next to it,
then suddenly as each on stepped through, the inside of the castle would suddenly
brighten so that you could see all of it. There was a long hallway inside, with an isle of
pillars stretching out into the distance as far as they could see. It was not particularly
warm inside either.
The red soldiers separated suddenly and ran apart. Each one steadied himself by a
pillar waited, there were not enough of them to fill the hall though, it seemed the endless
hall. An old man in a black cloak came out from behind one of the pillars, he walked as
smartly as he could across to the center of the hall and then stood in front of the twenty or
so fighters who had entered the tournament.
Among them, could be seen, Subzero, Scorpion, he stood at the very back,
watching and waiting always a specter. Liu Kang the shaolin monk who stood at the side,
Rayden who was somewhere in the middle, Sonja Jonny Cage, who presently and
stylishly took off his glasses, and Kano with Jarek. He was not happy that his men had
gone missing.
Reptile stood forward quickly and turned to the fighters "If you pleasesss, this is
masters Shangtsung, he is the grand master of thises great and humble tournament"
He then turned round again and bowed to the sorcera, Jonny Cage almost expected
him to go up and kiss his feet.
"Welcome fighters" interrupted Shangtsung in a snake like voice "This place will
be your dwellings for the nights that you stay here alive" he took a few steps across the
room his black sleeves folded behind his back, he stole a glance across at Rayden with
suspicion, eyeing up the straw hat with distaste "The first of the fights will happen
tomorrow, each of you will be informed by Reptile when it is your turn to enter the arena,
please be prepared as this could happen at any time… are there any questions?"
"How much prize money is there?" asked Kano gruffly, Sonja looked over at him
with hate.
"Is that all you think about?" she snarled
"No baby, when I win this tournament, I'll be thinking how much you'd cost"
"Why you!"
"Enough!" shouted the sorcera "A good question… the prize money, is more gold
than you could possibly imagine Kano, the whole of this island, with it's treasures and
ancient artifacts will pass into the winners hands, I am growing old, yet I have never been
beaten yet… it is nice to see confidence in your young faces" he turned away with a
smile "Once you get to be as old as me, you see things repeat themselves over history, I
have always been a dabbler with the fates of the world, if any of you ever have any
studurious questions you would like to ask, you can find me in the tallest tower, I do
enjoy the job of a tutor, I have a vast library at my disposal…" the sorcera turned looking
slowly from one to the other "though I suppose that wouldn't interest you young people,
Reptile, take them to their rooms, I have work to do"
Reptile ushered the party off to the side to a previously unnoticed stair case. "Feels
like *ucking summer camp" grunted Kano walking up the steps.
"Are Kano baby?" mocked Sonja only a couple of steps below "Are you regretting
this already? It's only just begun!"
"Yeah yeah , seeing your face is enough to turn anybody off, just like your ugly
mother"
Sonja fell silent and looked up at the Gangster's back with needles in her eyes. She
grunted, a touch of water coming to her eyes and headed on up the steps. Liu Kang
stopped at the stair case and waited, he looked around, where was Rayden? He spotted
him across one of the pillars, he was talking to Shangtsung.
"How is your master? Kahn doing?" asked the white clothed form of Rayden, his
face a shadow under the dark maskish straw hat that covered his silver hair.
Shangtsung smiled his hands behind his back, the gargoyles looked down from the
upholstery beams above them.
"Kahn is living in his own hell" the sorcerer laugthed as if amused at the question "I
never thought you would enter mortal kombat… Rayden… and such a bitter sacrifice, I
never knew you classed my tournament so highly… are you disappointed I managed to
keep the title of grand master?"
"You could say that" returned the other, a flicker of electricity going down his body,
it had happened less since the boat "I try not to lie in my position, but the Earth Realm
has become more of an interest to me as time goes on … my past is littered with
destruction, I think I would like to look into that more, I would not like to see this realm
fall into the hands of my brother"
"Neither would I to tell the truth, but in my case the Omlette is much tastier than the
egg" said the sorcera stretching back his hair and letting it fall.
"As I presumed" returned Rayden "I myself would like to use the position as Grand
master to change the rules, and allow gods and beings from the astral plains to enter the
tournament, if Kahn wants to take this realm he can do it fairly through a tournament
with his own hands"
"I thought this system was very fair" chuckled Shangtsung "If the elder gods hadn't
interfered, then there would only have been one tournament deciding the face of the
realm, and seeing as we have one 9…"
"Rayden are you coming?" called Liukang.
"Is he your servent?" whispered the sorcera.
"No just a petty Shaolin monk" returned the god "they worship me for the time I
drove Shinnoch out of the Earth Realm long ago, he suspects nothing of my true identity"
Liu Kang came up to the two "I still know very little about you Rayden, why don't
you tell me more?" he asked with a smile. Rayden gave the sorcerer a sarcastic look and
then reluctantly followed the monk away to the steps. Shangtsung watched them go, and
caught a glimpse of a flickering of electricity in the thunder gods eyes, the combined
darkness of the shadows and the god's straw hat making them ever more real in the
darkness.
A figure came from the darkness, with four huge arms, Shangtsung turned quickly "I
thought I told you to stay in the dungeon?"
"I wanted to see them for myself" replied the half dragon "There is no harm in that,
they seem a weak bunch to me"
Shangtsung looked away again to the steps "Watch the man with the hat… he's not
from this plain … don't underestimate him Goro, if anyone succeeds to challenge you in
this tournament, then it will be him"
"Understood master" he replied solemnly and sunk back into the shadows.
Shangtsung stood there for awhile, and then abruptly headed off towards the end of the
hall, that seemingly went on for ever. You could see him walking for a long time.
The quarters they had lead to were far apart and hard to remember the locations of.
They were drafty and cold but comfortable, a strange combination. Many of them were
high up in the castle in the various turrets and towers that were about the roof ways.
There seemed to be a perpetual storm out side of every window, and lightning flickered
across every horizon. It was very strange seeing as when they had walked in, the sun had
been shining.
The quarter Subzero was in was very dark, with black demonic furniture and dark
black stone walls, like some mansion or castle from a horror movie. There was a terrace
with the shutters wide open and he could see it through the misty mirror. He wiped his
hand across it and stared at his face. It looked different, different to the scar on his
brothers face.
The terrace flickered in the mirror as Subzero watched the rain outside pelt down.
What would become of his life now? He had no chance to destroy Scorpion? He was a
ghost after all. What could he do against the powers of a ghost. The blue mask encased
his face, and his emotions. He was doomed to fight against someone who would surely
defeat him, was there no other way. He walked over to the terrace, and walked through
the shutters. He felt the rain on his head, and saw the lightning strike down somewhere on
the island. Was the storm real or an illusion? The water felt very real, yet it was already
night? And daylight when he had entered the castle.
He looked down away down the mountainside and into the sea, the boats were gone
now, who knows where they went. He wasn't even sure if it was that beach they had
landed on. Below him all he could see was darkness, it must have been a long way to the
ground.
"Don't even think about it" whispered a voice in his ear. Subzero looked up quickly
to find a dark figure crouching on the roof above him like a gargoyle. Blue eyes flashed
menacingly as the storm raged on.
"Scorpion?" stuttered Subzero "Is it that time already?"
"No you fool it's me, a messenger from the Neatherealm, the shadow master
Noobsaibot, my master has asked me to help you destroy Shangtsung and even Scorpion"
The Shadow moved, a patch of darkness itself. It moved from one side of the roof
to the other and stared down threateningly.